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Who is the greatest athlete activist of all time?

By YPB Team

Some of them lost titles for it, some lost careers, one lost every endorsement she had inside a day. The price varies as much as the cause.

  1. Muhammad Ali — ranked #11
    Muhammad Ali
    Refused induction into the US Army in 1967 and lost his titles and nearly four years of his prime for it.
    1000pts
  2. Arthur Ashe — ranked #22
    Arthur Ashe
    Campaigned against apartheid, was arrested protesting it, and spent his last year on AIDS awareness.
    558pts
  3. Billie Jean King — ranked #33
    Billie Jean King
    Founded the WTA, forced the US Open into equal prize money in 1973, and kept working after being outed cost her every endorsement.
    499pts
  4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — ranked #44
    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
    Boycotted the 1968 Olympics, changed his name at the height of his fame, and has written on race ever since.
    447pts
  5. Curt Flood — ranked #55
    Curt Flood
    Sued Major League Baseball over the reserve clause in 1970, lost, and never played again.
    447pts
  6. Jackie Robinson — ranked #66
    Jackie Robinson
    Broke Major League Baseball's colour line in 1947 and spent the rest of his life on civil rights.
    447pts
  7. Martina Navratilova — ranked #77
    Martina Navratilova
    Came out publicly in 1981, when almost no active superstar in any sport had, and campaigned on it for decades.
    446pts
  8. Colin Kaepernick — ranked #88
    Colin Kaepernick
    Knelt during the anthem in 2016 over police violence and has not played an NFL game since.
    319pts
  9. Tommie Smith — ranked #99
    Tommie Smith
    Raised a gloved fist on the 200m podium in Mexico City in 1968 and was expelled from the Games for it.
    240pts
  10. Simone Biles — ranked #1010
    Simone Biles
    Testified to the US Senate about the Nassar abuse and withdrew mid-Olympics over her own health.
    240pts
  11. Megan Rapinoe — ranked #1111
    Megan Rapinoe
    Led the US women's team's equal-pay case against its own federation and won a settlement in 2022.
    240pts
  12. Naomi Osaka — ranked #1212
    Naomi Osaka
    Wore seven masks at the 2020 US Open and later forced a conversation about athletes and press obligations.
    0pts

Comments 1

Out of tennis altogether, on a ballot with Muhammad Ali and Jackie Robinson: https://youpick.best/articles/billie-jean-king-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team
Aug 25